Silver Dollar Casino, Seatac
The Silver Dollar Casino in Seatac is located just south of Seatac Airport (Seattle/Tacoma airport) in Washington on the main north-south road in Seatac, nestled amongst the major airport hotels. It is part of a major chain of mini-casinos that owns all the Silver Dollar locations as well as the Riverside Casino in Tukwila and both Golden Nugget locations and the Royal Casino in Everett. Games Limit hold 'em: 3/6 and 4/8; 6/12 if there is a request and enough interest for a full table. May add a kill if the players at the table vote to add one. Will be played without a small blind at the dealer's discretion if playing shorthanded. Rake: The rake is 10% to max $3 + jackpot rake of $1 or $2 depending on pot size. Blinds: standard blnds; for 3/6 they are 1 and 3. Posting: New players need not post. Shuffling: Standard Shufflemaster shuffling machines. Game Character: Somewhat wild and wacky, the Silver Dollar seems to attract a younger more playful crowd who are here mainly to drink at the bar and gamble away some dollars at blackjack or poker. Lots of bluffing, even though it's rarely wise at low limits. Wait Time: Varies due to small number of tables. Tournaments * Daily 10:30 Start. $40 buy in (2k chips). 10 Minutes blinds, field is normally 15-30. Jackpots and Promotions * Standard Washington Monte Carlo jackpots, about 100-300 for each. Atmosphere The Silver Dollar is more of a bar and hangout that has a few poker tables in it than it is a casino. Although it's marketed as a casino, the crowd has more of the feel of a lively sports bar than a gaming house. This is reinforced by the layout: of the three poker tables, one is actually off in a separate area of the building, in the middle of the "restaurant area" and surrounded by people just eating dinner or having a meal; the other two are up next to the bar. The bar noise and louder-than-usual rock-and-roll music made it more difficult to concentrate on your cards. The music wasn't obnoxiously loud, but again it is an example of the Silver Dollar catering to the sports bar crowd and less to the poker player. Neighborhood: On a major thoroughfare, surrounded by airport hotels ranging from the upscale Hampton Inn a hundred yards south to the budget Econo Lodge across the street. Parking: A bit tricky with an awkwardly-shaped lot that has maybe only 20 spaces or so in it. Probably fills up during busy times, and there's no street parking. Tables and Chairs: 9-seat tables with nice felt and nice vinyl padding on edge. Clean commit line. Decent though unremarkable player chairs. Service and Comps Fast and frequent, since you're literally right next to the bar. Heck, you can get something yourself by turning around and talking to the bartender, if you're on that side of the table. Links and Notes * Nearest competitor is the Northstar Casino a few miles north, or Midway Casino a few miles south. * Visited by MarkT in Jun 2006.